Fashioning of articles



March "i5, E949. y J. snvm 2,464,558

FAS-HIONING OF ARTICLES Filed Jan. 25, 1947 5 sheets-Sheet 1 j f 2l 22 4 March 15, w49. J. ,s-TWIN.

FASHIONING OF ARTICLES Filed Jan. 23, 1947 3 Sheets-5heet 2 vIlz/z cjo J (9522/ Marcil-1.15,"1949,` .1. srlvl 2,464,658

FAS-HIOVNING OF ARTICLES Filed Jan. 25, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 15, 1949 FASHIONING OF ARTICLES Jiri Stivn, Celakovice, near Prague, Czechoslovakia Application January23, 1947, Serial No. 723,793 In Germany September 4, 1942 Section 1, PublicLaW 690, August 8, 1946. Patent expires September 4, 1962 (Cl. 21B-3) 12 Claims.

In the known methodsof operating. on articles bythe removal of shavingsor grindins` the structural conditions of thematerial.: are detrimentally affected 'through the materialbres in therarticle to be fashioned being cut through .and `the strength of the latter being thereby greatly reduced. On the other hand, methods are known, it is true, by means of which the article is deformed at the surface in' the cold state without removing any material, for instance by impresing grooves or threads or by cold drawing or stamping and the like, but these methods `of treatment are suitable only for shallow changes of shape and therefore donot come into consideration at all, where deeply extendingA deformations are required,

The heat treatment methods `Which might also be employed for the deformation of articles have the disadvantage, that the blank must-be brought to red heat through the Whole of its mass, so as to enable it to be easily deformed, but isthen incapable of being held rmly in areliable manner..

heating the whole blank right. through involves a great loss of time, is more'or less uneconomieal and is the cause of loss in Weightby burning and the troublesome-formation of scale, just at the surface which is to be operatedon. Moreover, when operating on the heated blanks to be passed through draw-plates and the like, for instance in the production of section` products, the extent of the deformation or the amount of tractive iorce that can be employed isgreatly limited by the reduced strength ofthe thoroughly heated blank.

Now, a way was found, to arrive. at a far more simple and, at the same time,lmore, accurate and economical deformation. The new method of fashioning articles consists in this, that inthe article to be changed in shape atemperature difference is producedby rapid surface heatingbetween the surface layer and the interior of the article, whereupon the surface` layer., thussoftened, is subjected to further treatment in. any suitable mannerfor the purpose of` obtaining the desired deformation. 'Ihis caribe eifected, for instance by rolling suitable tools over the blank for impressing the desired profiles or by operating on it by means of a calibrating gauge or the like.

In the method according to the inventionthe article is heated by an accurately regulated supply of heat at its surface to the desired depthso rapidly that only the layers which arejust tovbe treated become soft, whilst the'interior remains hard and firm and thus enables the blank-,to .be

securely clamped. Suitablesources ofheatare,

for instance, autogenous burners, induced high frequency current, strong electric current in the transition resistance, the electric arc, the salt bath and the like. The soft surface layer parts are `then fashioned to the desired shape by pressing in suitable tools or by forcing them through the same. According to requirementlthe tools are internally cooled by a ow of cooling medium for the purpose of maintaining the requisite temperature difference.

The arrangement for carrying out the said method may be combined insuch a manner with a device for hardening the article by chilling that the product is heated up, pressed, reheated and hardened in successive operations, without having to be released and reclamped. The article to be treated may be effectively protected from'oxidation by placing the whole arrangement in a closed housing filled with a neutral atmosphere` Some constructional examples of the arrangement according to the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 shows in perspective, diagrammatic view the arrangement for deiorming supercially heated articles. Figure 2 shows diagrammatically the arrangement for pressing spur gearing teeth into cylindrical blanks. Figure 3 represents a perspective view of an arrangement for rolling and hardening spur wheels. Figure 4 shows the main features of a device for drawing suitable profiles in a closed space With neutral atmosphere.

The .arrangement shown in Figure 1 consists of a frame I, on the guide-cheeks of which a slide 2. has motion imparted to it by means of a belt pulley 3 by way of worm bearing 4 and a screw spindle 5 with a nut 6. The slide 2 supports oppsitely disposed, suitably xed bearings 1, 8 for the shafts 9, Iii, at the ends of which are clamping devices ii, I'2 for the article I3, for instance with reduced ends, which is to be operated on. On the periphery of thearticlewith the aid of a tool I4, for instance in the form of a toothed wheel, there is produced, for example by rolling, the desired profile, for instance gearing Ateeth or a polygonal cross-sectional form, grooving or the like. The profile of the tool I4 isformedon the principles of the rolling method andsuitably corrected for the purposes of production.

The `tool I4 is keyed on to a shaft I5 supported in the bearings I6, I1 of the frame I, on which shaft v.the drivingv wheel I8` is slidable with key and groove or a rhexagonal.cross-section. The wheelis .provided for this purpose on its hub with .il a driving groove for the driver I9 which is fixed to the slide 2, so that the wheel I is constrained to participate in the motion of the slide.

The wheel I8 is in mesh with a toothed wheel 20 Xed on the shaft il. At the end of the shaft I is mounted a change-wheel 2l which is in mesh with a change-wheel 22 keyed on the wormwheel shaft of the gearing 4. The article I3 to be operated on, for instance a shaft, is embraced by a heating device 23 supported on a bracket 24 on the frame I. At the start of the operation the slide 2 is lowered in the direction of the arrow 25, until the off-set front part of the article i3 passes into the heating device 23, for instance into a heating coil fed by a high frequency generator. n this position the tool It is opposite the off-set portion of the shaft I3, so that it is free. Current is applied to the heating device and at the same time the belt pulley 3 is started up, causing the slide 2 to be put in motion in the direction of the arrow 26 by means of the worm gearing 4 and the nut 6. At the same time the shaft I5 which is connected by the changewheels 2| and 22 with the worm gearing 4 is put in rotation, causing the tool i4 xed on the shaft I5 and the driving wheel I8 to rotate as well. In this way the rotary motion is also transmitted through the toothed wheel and the shaft 9 to the article I3. The slide 2 is displaced in the direction of the arrow and the teeth of the tool I4 commence to engage in the heated surface of the article I3. Owing to the speeds of revolution of the tool I4 and of the article I3 being determined by the transmission ratio of the gearwheels I8, 20, by rolling off the teeth of the tool III the desired profile is impressed into the superficially heated and thereby softened layer of the article I3. By means of an obliquely placed pinion it is also possible, for instance, to produce threads. If required, the article under treatment can also be suitably cooled by injecting a cooling medium into its bore, for which purpose the cooling medium is forced out of a tube 2l having perforations around its periphery and extending as far as the heating place.

Figure 2 shows diagrammatically the manner, in which teeth are formed by the rolling method. The tool I4 has the form of a toothed wheel with teeth to the number of Z1 and rotates in the direction of the arrow at the speed of revolution n1 per minute. The pitch circle has a radius R1. The tool I3 is a cylinder with the radius P2 and rotates in the direction of the arrow at a speed of revolution N2 per minute. During operation the teeth of the tool I4 are forced into the periphery of the article under treatment, which has been softened by heat, and on it is formed The pitch circle radius height e, which is removed by being turned or ground on'. The necessary space for the addition is ensured by the height of the tooth base of the tool being made h-e.

Let the height of the tooth base of the article to be fashioned be h1 and the height of the tooth head of the tool also h1. For enabling the tool to be trimmed by grinding, when it has become worn, it is made initially with a so-called corrected toothing, that is to say, the head circle radius is made greater by an amount f than the theoretical value (R1-h1).

Figure 3 shows an arrangement of the machine for surface fashioning and hardening by supercial heating as applied to gear wheels, sprocket Wheels or the like. In the frame I 0| there is mounted on a short shaft a toothed wheel |02 which by means of a crank |03 and a connecting rod |04 has an alternating rotary motion imparted to it, when the crank disc |05 which by its eccentric crank pin drives the said connecting rod has a rotary motion imparted to it. The spur wheel I 02 is in mesh with the two spur wheels |06 and I0'I. The wheel |01 is keyed on a short shaft, on the other end of which is mounted an exchangeable spur wheel |08. The wheel |06 is supported on a grooved, axially slidable shaft |09 which is journalled in the frame II and to the end of which is keyed the article IIi) which is to be fashioned. The spur wheel |03 meshes with two racks III which by means of springloaded rollers ||2 guided in brackets IIS are pressed against the wheel |00. At the level of the article IIO the racks I |I are acted on by further pressure rollers |54 of a pressure-actuated pressure applying device H5. The axial displacement of the shaft |09 is effected by means of a lever III which is supported in the frame |0| and with its slotted, fork-shaped end engages around the transverse pins of the foot step II'I of the shaft |09. Mounted coaxially with the article ||0 is the heating device |18 and the spraying sleeve IIS for cooling the work-piece.

The arrangement operates as follows: At the start of the operation the article I|0 to be fashioned is Xed on the shaft |09, whereupon with the aid of the lever I 6 it is moved into the middle of the heating device I I 0. The pressure applying devices IIE are without pressure, the racks III are loosely opened and the article can pass freely between them. Thereupon, the crank disc |05 is put in rotation and the heating device is put in circuit, so that the article I I0 becomes sufficiently heated at its surface. By means of the lever IIS it is then moved to its position between the racks III and the pistons of the pressure applying device ||5 are placed under pressure. The alternately ascending and descending racks I I I are at the same time forced with their teeth gradually deeper and deeper into the softened surface material 0f the initially quite smooth article, the toothing or some other profile formation being thus produced. The travel of the pressure applying device is regulated by suitable stops.

When the surface treatment has been completed, the pressure applying device is put out of operation, so that the racks can be moved apart. By means of the lever IIB the fashioned article I|0 is again moved into the heating device, where it remains only long enough for the heating to reach the depth required for the surface hardening. It is then rapidly moved by the lever II 6 into the sleeve I I9 and hardened by the spraying sleeve I I9.

In those cases, in which it is of importance I qfor they article Yto be .protected during. itstreat- #ment-against oxidising and .other Vinjurious Jat- ,imospheric influences, a further `modification of '-.lthe :arrangement according to the invention is Y ;used, such as that shown in Figure 4.

'L'I'he device, in which the surface of the ar- 'iticle `hasibeen softened by the aforesaid heating and transformed, after Which it is forced through earring gauge, is housed in a gas-tight casing 2130, intowhich a neutral gas, such as nitrogen or ;theilike, is introduced through the branch 201,

escaping at the other end through the branch 202. The ring gauge Ei33 is fixed in the casing .Illll,l so that the article Zilli can be forced 'through '.by means of any suitable pressure applying bar ttor :the like, vsuch as a screw'spmdle 2&5, passing :through the heating device 256 mounted below :.thegauge, for instance a coil heated with high rfrequency currentfor the like,'andbeing heated Lto the required extent. articlexis held by the centre 2'l .in the central position and thereby guided,

This traversing device has the great advan- `tage, that the article rwhich has become softened fonlyin the vsurface layer remains cold internally ,andtherefore completely firm, so that for forcing `it through a far greater force can be used than when themass of the article is heated right through, as there can be no deformation of the rigid core, so that the production of profiles becomes possible, which could not hitherto be carried out by the drawing process. The formation of scale-is almost completely avoided.

The method according to the invention makes it possible to produce in a novel way articles which could hitherto not be made by superficial heat treatment, such as gear Wheels, sprocket lwheels, grooved shafts, fiuted rolls, various bar Iprofiles and so forth, or it becomes possible' to iuse simpler and cheaper tools. The article which has been heated at the surface only will cool down rapidly, as a vigorous equalisation of temperature takes place between the surface and I'the interior. At the same time, the tools used -are in general-less severely taxed by the heat. Morecven themechanical properties of the material are greatly improved, owing to the circumstance that the run of the fibres is nowhere seriously disturbed, the strength being, cn the 4,;c0ntrary, greatly increased through the consolidation of the material, due to its being forced in.

Through the employment of the method according to the invention the possibility is obviously presented, not only to operate on metals,

but on various thermoplastic materials, such as artificial substances.

I claim:

l. Means for fashioning articles from metals or thermoplastic materials, comprising: means for rapidly heating the surface of the article, a tool for changing the shape of the article, a carrier for firmly gripping the article and moving it first to the heating means and then to the tool, and means for holding the tool in a fixed operative relation to the article, moving it along the article, and at the same time pressing it against the article.

2. Means for fashioning articles from metals or thermoplastic materials, comprising: means for rapidly heating the surface of the article, a tool for changing the shape of the article, a carrier, such as a chuck, for rmly gripping the article and moving it rst to the heating means and then to the tool, means for holding the At the opposite end the y .tool inla Afixed operative relation to thearticle, 'moving it along the article, Vand at the same time pressing it against thearticle, a peripherally perforated tube extending into thein- .terior of the article to be shaped as far asta point in the neighbourhood of the surface to be heated, and means for supplying cooling uidzto the said tube.

3. Means for fashioning articles from metals or thermoplastic materials, comprising: means for rapidly heating the surface of the article, by theiuse of high-frequency electro-magnetic energy, a tool for changing the shape of the..ar-

ticle, a carrier, such as a chuck, for firmly grip- `.ping the article and moving it rst to the heating means and thento the tool, and means for holding the tool in a fixed operative relation-.to the article, moving it along the article, and at the same time pressing against the article.

4. Means for fashioning articles from metals or thermoplastic materials, comprising: an electrical conductor of suitable form, for instancea coil, means for supplying high-frequency current to the conductor for rapidly heatingv the surface of the article, a tool for changing, the shape of the article, a carrier, such as a chuck, for firmly gripping the article and moving it first to the heating means and then to the tool,` and means for holding the tool in a fixed operative relation to the article, moving it along the article, and at the same time pressing it against the article.

5. Means for fashioning arti-cles from metals or .thermoplastic materials, comprising: means for rapidly heating .the surface of the article, toothed members such as toothed Wheels and racks for forming teeth in the surface of the article, a carrier, such as a chuck, for firmly gripping the article and moving it first to `the heating means and then to the toothed member, and means for holding the toothed member in a 'fixed operative relation to the article, moving it` along the article, and at the same time pressing it :against the article.

6. Means for fashioning articles from metals orv thermoplastic materials, comprising: means for rapidly heating the surface of the article,

a tool for changing the shape of the article,'a

carrier, such as a chuck, for rmly grippingthe `article and moving itiirst to the heating means and then .to the tool, means for holding the tool in a fixed operative relation to the article, moving it along the article, and at the same time pressing it against the article, Ia gas-tight casing entirely surrounding .the said fashioning means, and means for supplying an inert atmosphere to the said casing.

7. A method of fashioning gears from metals or thermoplastic materials, ,comprising a rapid heating of the surface layers :to be fashioned into the teeth under use of induced high frequency currents Without heating and softening the inner core of the Work piece and then subjecting the surface layers, `thus softened, to the deformation treatment by a toothed tool fashioning the teeth of the gear produced by a relative rolling motion of the workpiece and the tool, the motions of the workpiece and the tool being made dependent one on another alt least during a part ofthe fashioning process.

8. A method of fashioning gears from metals or Ithermoplastic materials, comprising a rapid heating of the surface layers to be fashioned into the teeth under use yof induced high frequency currents Without heating and softening the ini ner core of the workpiece and then subjecting the surface layers, thus softened, .to the deformation treatment by toothed tools fashioning 4the teeth lof the gear produced by a relative rolling motion of :the workpiece and the tools, .the motions of the workpiece and the tools being made dependent one on another at least during a part of the fashioning process.

9. A method of fashioning gears from metals or thermoplastic materials, comprising la rapid heating of the surface layers to be fashioned infto the teeth under use of induced high frequency currents without heating and softening the inner core of the workpiece and then subjecting the surface layers, `thus softened, to the deformation .treatment by a toothed tool fashioning the teeth of the gear produced by `a relative rolling motion of the workpiece and the tool, the motions of lthe workpiece and the tool being made dependent .one on another at least during a part of the fashi-oning process, and the teeth of :the tool being gradually forced into the softened surface layers of the workpiece by moving the tool radially -to the axis of the workpiece during the fashioning treatment.

10. A method of fashioning gears from metals or thermoplastic materials, comprising a rapid heating of the surface layers to be fashioned into the teeth under use f induced high frequency currents without heating and softening the inner core of the workpiece and then subjecting the surface layers, thus softened, yto the deformation treatment by toothed tools fashioning the teeth of :the gear produced by a relative rolling motion of the workpiece and the tools, .the motions of the workpiece and the ftools being made dependent one on another at least during a part of ythe fashioning process, and the teeth of the tools being gradually forced into the softened surface layers of the workpiece by moving the tools radially to the axis of the workpiece during the fashioning treatment.

11. A method of fashioning gears from metals or rthermoplastic materials, comprising a rapid heating of the surface layers, to be fashioned into the teeth under use of induced high frequency currents without heating and softening the inner core of the workpiece and then subjecting the surface layers, thus softened, to the deformation .treatment by a toothed tool fashioning fthe teeth of the gear produced by a, relative rolling motion of the workpiece and the tool, the motions -of Ithe workpiece and the tool being made dependent one on another at least during a part of the fashioning process and the teeth of the `tool being gradually forced into the softened surface layers of the workpiece by moving the tool radially 4to the axis of #the workpiece during lthe fashioning treatment, the excess material being forced to appear on the surfaces of the gear such as tips of the teeth and end walls of the teeth, where it can be Worked off.

12. Means for fashioning articles from metals or thermoplastic materials, comprising means for rapidly heating the surface of the article, toothed members such as toothed wheels 'and racks for forming teeth in the surface of th-e article, a carrier, such as a chuck, for firmly gripping the article and moving it first to the heating means and then 'to the toothed member, and means for holding the toothed member in a xed operative relation to the article, moving it against the article, the toothed members being constructed with free spaces `for lthe excess material forced away during the fashioning at such places, so that all excess material appears on the surfaces of the gear such as tips of the teeth and end walls of the teeth, where it can be worked off.

JIR sTrviN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 501,547 'Ihomson July 18, 1893 1,187,275 Derihon June 13, 1916 1,558,086 Gustavsen Oct. 20, 1925 1,568,648 White Jan 5, 1926 1,578,019 Ellis et al. Mar. 23, 1926 1,701,889 Junker Feb. 12, 1929 1,872,067 Furrer Aug. 16, 1932 1,968,442 Clark et al. July 31, 1934 2,182,922 Heschel Dec. 12, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS- Number Country Date 53,224 Germany Aug. 20, 1890 

